Sipping Through Croatia

Welcome to Istria — Croatia's northwestern peninsula, where the Adriatic meets Italian-influenced culture, truffles, and olive oil. Your driver meets you at Pula Airport (PUY) and transfers you to Rovinj (approximately 40 minutes) — a pastel-colored fishing town on a hillside peninsula, often called the most romantic small town on the Adriatic.

Afternoon: explore Rovinj's old town — the Church of St. Euphemia at the summit (climb the bell tower for 360-degree views), the narrow cobblestoned lanes cascading to the harbor, and the waterfront Grisia art street. First Istrian dinner — fuži pasta with truffles, Istrian olive oil, and a glass of local Malvasia. Welcome to Croatian wine country.

Full day exploring Istria's wine and food landscape with your private driver-guide. Morning: Malvasia and Teran tastings at two family wineries in the Istrian interior — Malvasia (the signature Istrian white, mineral and herbal) and Teran (the local red, deep and earthy, grown on the distinctive red terra rossa soil). The wineries are small, family-run, and the tastings are private.

Afternoon: truffle hunting in the Motovun Forest — a guided hunt with a trained truffle dog through the oak forest above the Mirna River valley. Black truffles are available year-round; white truffles (the prized tartufo bianco) are October through December. Finish with a truffle lunch in Motovun — the hilltop medieval town overlooking the forest where the truffles grow. Optional: olive oil mill visit (Istrian olive oil regularly wins international awards). Return to Rovinj by evening.

Morning at leisure in Rovinj — a final coffee on the harbor or a swim at Lone Bay. Afternoon: fly from Pula to Split (approximately 1 hour, or scenic drive via the coastal highway, approximately 5 hours with stops). The landscape shifts from Istria's green rolling hills to Dalmatia's dramatic limestone coast.

Arrive Split late afternoon. Check in to your hotel near Diocletian's Palace. Evening: first Dalmatian dinner — the cuisine shifts from Istria's truffle-and-pasta tradition to Dalmatia's grilled-fish-and-olive-oil Mediterranean style. Paired with your first Dalmatian wine — likely a Plavac Mali red or a Pošip white.

Morning: Diocletian's Palace walking tour — the Peristyle, the basement halls, the Cathedral. Then the Kaštela wine region — a strip of coastal villages between Split and Trogir where Crljenak Kaštelanski (the Croatian ancestor of Zinfandel) was rediscovered in 2001. Private tasting at a Kaštela winery — this is where Zinfandel began before Croatian emigrants brought it to California.

Afternoon: at leisure in Split — Marjan Hill, the Riva, the fish market at the eastern wall. Or a visit to Trogir (UNESCO old town, 15 minutes from Kaštela). Evening: dinner paired with Dalmatian wines.

Morning: catamaran from Split to Korčula (approximately 2.5 hours). Korčula is the wine island of the Dalmatian Coast — two indigenous grape varieties that grow almost nowhere else. Grk (a white grape cultivated in the sandy vineyards of Lumbarda, just yards from the sea) and Pošip (a fuller white from the Smokvica area in the island's interior).

Afternoon: private tasting at a Korčula family winery — Grk and Pošip with the winemaker, paired with the island's goat cheese and cured meats. Walk the medieval old town (Marco Polo's reputed birthplace, herringbone streets designed to channel summer breezes). Evening: dinner in the old town — fresh fish and Korčula wine.

Morning: ferry from Korčula to the Pelješac peninsula (30 minutes). Pelješac is Croatia's most important red-wine peninsula — the steep south-facing hillsides produce Dingač (Croatia's first protected-origin wine, a Plavac Mali grown on near-vertical slopes above the Adriatic). Private tasting at a Dingač producer — the vineyard views alone justify the visit.

Afternoon: drive to Ston at the base of the peninsula — the 'Croatian Great Wall' (3.4 miles of medieval fortification) and the oyster farms in Mali Ston bay. Fresh oysters pulled from the Adriatic, paired with Pošip or Malvasia. Continue to Dubrovnik (approximately 1 hour from Ston). Check in. Evening at leisure.

Morning: Dubrovnik city walls walk (timed for early morning). Then explore the Old Town at ground level — the Rector's Palace, the Franciscan Monastery, the Stradun. Afternoon: Dubrovnik wine bar crawl — your specialist has a curated list of wine bars in the Old Town and Lapad that pour rare Croatian wines by the glass (including vintages you won't find outside the country).

Farewell dinner: your specialist has the restaurant where the sommelier pairs each course with a Croatian wine from the regions you've visited — Istrian Malvasia, Kaštela Crljenak, Korčula Grk, Pelješac Dingač. The meal is the summary of the trip.

A final Croatian morning. Transfer to Dubrovnik Airport (DBV) for your departure flight. Eight days sipping through Croatia — Istria's truffles and Malvasia to Dalmatia's Plavac Mali and Adriatic oysters, the green hills to the limestone coast.

Your Juniper specialist remains reachable throughout departure day. Safe travels home.